As someone who is always on the hunt for new gorgeous items for the home, I’ve always loved attending trade shows. Yeah, sometimes you’ve really got to hunt out the gems, but the ones you find are pretty fabulous and totally worth it! Unfortunately, my schedule lately hasn’t allowed for me to get to as many of them as I would like to, so last month I jumped at the chance to head up north to IDS Vancouver to see what it was all about.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with some of the design shows that take place in Canada, IDS is a more boutique trade show experience for interior designers (and the public!) that happens once a year in Vancouver and Toronto.
While the show is small, there is tons to explore thanks to little sections like this one – the Clay & Glaze bar – that groups designers of a similar medium or theme together! I loved browsing through what felt like a well-merchandised shop versus individual booths. It’s so much more fun that way!
These vases from The Granite were amongst my favorites, but you can see all the participants here. The IDS website is actually such a great resource in itself for discovering new talent and sources!
The Ann Sacks bar was designed by Camille Walala who was also one of the main speakers, and her talk was so enjoyable! In fact, all the talks were pretty fantastic. I was surprised at how international the speakers were – hailing from all over the world and bringing their inspirational and fun stories to Vancouver.
Along with the international speakers came some serious talent, like Sabine Marcelis out of the Netherlands whose designs are all amazing, but the lighting especially! She was joined by a few others whose pieces were shown as a part of a new offsite design talks called The Mix, my favorite of which was the pairing of artist Bobbie Burgers (who hosted in her studio) and design duo RENS (also out of the Netherlands) who I am now obsessively following on instagram.
Their talk was all about color, and I adored how coordinated they were. Their pieces all paired together so beautifully and it was really interesting to hear about the similarities and differences in the way all the women approached their work.
But of course the most fun take away from any design show is the new sources you discover, right?? Well, here are a few of my top favorites… 
- Wronko Woods: Not only was I impressed with the very unique designs of this woodwork studio, but the crossover between art and utility is stunning.
- Division 12: For me, this design shop takes the cake. Their simple lines based off of classic pieces like bentwood chairs are made out of metal and powder coated in any color you wish, done with high quality materials. Basically a designer’s dream and perfect for commercial projects!
- Origins: Sometimes it’s all about that one piece, and this bookshelf is it. Taking the idea of the way we display items and forcing it to change by creating these slots and waves is pretty awesome, and I love the way books look on display here!
- Peace Industry: Adding these rugs to my obsession! The colors, shapes and quirk are so fun and perfectly capture that Memphis Design aesthetic that is making a comeback.
- Hinterland: Another design trend – shearling – looks mighty good on these chairs. While Hinterlands line is small, it’s definitely diverse and along with these beauties are some other objects worth exploring!
For a full list of exhibitors, you can check out the IDS website, which I would highly recommend if you are a designer within reach of Vancouver and beyond because many of these designers will ship to the US!
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